The present invention relates to a data base system for recording and managing various data, and further, to an image data managing unit which records image data newly prepared or processed and also outputs the recorded image data for display, printing or processing, etc. in an image data base for processing image data.
Management of information by the aid of the data base system is extremely convenient particularly when records in the file are to be searched for, since an operator can set various conditions for character-strings or numerical values serving as keys for retrieval so as to freely derive the record while monitoring such conditions. Further, he can directly take out the specific record through employment of identification numbers or ID numbers (referred to as ID numbers hereinafter) and other identification symbols.
In the above-mentioned data base system, however, it has been impossible to directly take out the specific record unless the operator exactly knows in advance the ID numbers and other identification symbols. Further, if the operator is unaware thereof, he is required at least to accurately input the character-strings, numerical values from keys, or conditions for retrieval therefor in order to effect the retrieval as desired. Accordingly, in the known data system, there has been a problem in that, in the case where the operator must effect the retrieval of records based only on a vague query thereof, the work for the retrieval becomes very difficult, requiring troublesome procedures.
Meanwhile, there are cases where keys for the respective records are initially present in a hierarchical structure so as to enable a retrieval which is vague to a certain extent. However, since, in such a hierarchical structure records are classified in a univocal standard, it hardly serves the purpose when the standard of the retrieval differs even slightly from fixed standard.
Moreover, in an image data managing unit for a conventional image data base, it has been a practice which where the image data manages one image by one image within a data file as independent record respectively.
However, in the case where the large number of image data to be managed in the data file by the image data managing unit as described above are a group of images resembling each other, and any image which are managed by the unit are those formed only by combination of some kinds of elements, or those including different factors respectively, but having some elements partly common to each other, there exist such problems as will be described subsequently.
(1) Since many images have same identical elements, identical bit patterns, etc. are present in duplication, in different regions of the memory unit which stored the respective image data, thus wastefully requiring a large memory capacity.
(2) Due to the fact that respective image data for one image are each stored as independent records within the data file, in the case where alteration is effected with respect to the common element, it is necessary to independently carry out the same image data alteration processing with respect to the element for each image, thus making the work overly burdensome.
(3) When only part of the element with respect to one image is intended to be altered, even if the same image data as the element after the alteration is already present at part of the image data for the other record, alteration processing of the image data must be effected for each element in a similar manner as occurred with regard to the first element, with an increase on the burden of work. Meanwhile, in the case where only the position in part of the element is to be altered with respect to one image, the image data must be newly altered in a similar manner when changing a fresh element.
(4) In the case where a plurality of images, which differ only in a part of the elements are prepared so as to effect comparative review of the images by sequential change-over thereof, it is required to fully output the entire image data for one image onto a display unit, including the image data of the common element, and thus, much more processing time is necessary with a consequent increase of waiting time for the operator.